• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Starting a Prog Rock Band

#184
40Hz said:
Not hating. Just not liking. :smug:
Click to expand...
Woah, I was searching for pictures of Rush in their robes and I stumbled upon this beauty (the robe/cape that is.) :D
 

Attachments

  • article-2658933-1ed1a4e700000578-245_470x647.jpg
    article-2658933-1ed1a4e700000578-245_470x647.jpg
    51.9 KB · Views: 53
#186
amusicalperson said:
You are definitely right about Louisiana, though, my Classic Rock band has enjoyed a decent crowd following playing plenty of non-radio hits. So maybe there's hope. One thing I do have to my advantage is Lafayette (about 20 minutes away) is trying to be the next New York and has TONS of small places to play solely focus on original music. I saw a band once, 7 string guitar, djembe, and a digeridoo. Anything goes here.
Click to expand...
If they like old rock classics you can sneak some ols Rush, Yes, and Pink Floyd in there before getting weird with some Hawkwind or something.
The thing about prog is I thought it was supposed to be "progressive" in that it tried to defy definition by blending styles and modes together. Then it became this calcified edifice that refused to move out of 1979. Maybe its time to take some country or bluegrass style and combine it with prog?
And I'd skip the capes. I don't know much about the South, but as a Yankee, that sounds like the right way to go for an @$$ whooping.
 
  • Like
Reactions: amusicalperson
#187
socialleper said:
If they like old rock classics you can sneak some ols Rush, Yes, and Pink Floyd in there before getting weird with some Hawkwind or something.
The thing about prog is I thought it was supposed to be "progressive" in that it tried to defy definition by blending styles and modes together. Then it became this calcified edifice that refused to move out of 1979. Maybe its time to take some country or bluegrass style and combine it with prog?
And I'd skip the capes. I don't know much about the South, but as a Yankee, that sounds like the right way to go for an @$$ whooping.
Click to expand...
Yeah, my Classic Rock was founded by two HUGE Rush fans. We have a good amount of Rush on our set. We also get to pick a new song every month. Mine was "Long Distance Runaround" it's a commercially known Yes song, it's fairly short, and it isn't "Owner of a Lonely Heart" I have heard non-stop complaining from the band about how "hard" it is. Geesh :D Anyways, I was saying earlier that the defying of boundaries is what attracts me to Prog. I have a broad vocabulary of music and want to be able to apply it (tastefully, of course). It's very ironic how the genre that sought out to destroy boundaries ended up created some of the strictist boundaries for itself. A shame, really.
 
  • Like
Reactions: socialleper and PaulJSmith
#189
amusicalperson said:
Yeah, my Classic Rock was founded by two HUGE Rush fans. We have a good amount of Rush on our set. We also get to pick a new song every month. Mine was "Long Distance Runaround" it's a commercially known Yes song, it's fairly short, and it isn't "Owner of a Lonely Heart" I have heard non-stop complaining from the band about how "hard" it is. Geesh :D Anyways, I was saying earlier that the defying of boundaries is what attracts me to Prog. I have a broad vocabulary of music and want to be able to apply it (tastefully, of course). It's very ironic how the genre that sought out to destroy boundaries ended up created some of the strictist boundaries for itself. A shame, really.
Click to expand...
THANK YOU!!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: amusicalperson
#192
amusicalperson said:
Anyways, I was saying earlier that the defying of boundaries is what attracts me to Prog. I have a broad vocabulary of music and want to be able to apply it (tastefully, of course). It's very ironic how the genre that sought out to destroy boundaries ended up created some of the strictist boundaries for itself. A shame, really.
Click to expand...

Much like fusion. In the beginning there was John McLaughlin and Weather Report. Then each band member eventually left and created a new band. And then each new band split, and each member of those bands formed their own bands, and so on…and it all got diluted and eventually became a parody of itself. That's what happens whenever form triumphs over content and it all becomes formulaic and bo-ring!

So it goes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: amusicalperson
#193
40Hz said:
Much like fusion. In the beginning there was John McLaughlin and Weather Report. The each member eventually left and created a new band. And then each new band split, and each member of those bands formed their own bands and, and so on…and it all got diluted and eventually became a parody of itself. That's what happens whenever form triumphs over content and it sll becomes formulaic- and boring.

So it goes.
Click to expand...
So should I have said I wanted to start an Un-Prog Rock Band? ;)
 
#198
PaulJSmith said:
Great thread.

Too many people get caught up in their own impression of what they think "prog rock" is supposed to be. They force it into a box with a label ('70s prog, prog metal, neo prog, etc.) ... and that's about as anti-progressive as you can get. I understand the inherent need to identify things. But, the whole point of progressive music is to push the boundaries. Be progressive.

My advice as a prog enthusiast since the '70s: Do what you want to do, without the burdens of worrying about whether or not you are playing a Ric or an authentic Mellotron. Bands like Yes and Crimson used the tools of their time, as do bands like Dream Theater and Symphony X today. If you are worried about presenting an image of identifiable prog rock, then worry about those things. If you truly want to play progressive music, though, just do it with whatever it takes to realize the sounds in your head.

... and by all means wear a cape (if that's your thing).
Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking. The key word is "Progressive". Don't be static. Metallica and Guns n Roses are now on the Classic Rock stations. I encourage you to write your music and play your songs based on your influences, but not dependent upon your influences.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PaulJSmith, BlueAliceOasis and amusicalperson

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back